Article in Norwegian. Published by Unikumnett.no 29.11.2019

By Marthe Wilhelmsen

Photo: Dag Jenssen, Kilden 

Read Original Article Here

Read Auto-Generated English Translation Here

Review: Trolle og den Magiske Fela – Perhaps the best I’ve seen at Kilden this year

 The premiere of the musical from the book by the same name by Alexander Rybak
 Where: Kilden Theater and Concert Hall
 When: November 28 - December 28. 

In short: Go and see this!.

This is some of the best I’ve seen at Kilden this year. Who would have thought, that a children’s show that lasted almost three hours would make me say “wow” loudly when the wolf came out, clap several times along the way, get spellbound and cheer loudly? 

They have managed to create a magical universe at all levels. The scenography, lighting and costumes were almost worth the ticket alone. The music was catchy and different. Clearly with references to fairytales and Norwegian folk music, mixed with a scary undertone. I got associations to the “Anastasia” movie from the 90s, with scary but catchy songs, and a humorous and nasty villain.

And then there were the actors. It was humor and depth. Variation and timing. I particularly liked that it was so much physical. Not just dance, but a physical playfulnes in the characters. The sequences of spellbinding were particularly good. All honor to the choreographer. This was exciting to watch!

As mentioned, the wolf was incredibly fascinating, and the leading actors did a fantastic job. But one that stood out was Stig-Werner Moe as the Hulder King. The first thing I did when the show was over, was to look in the program sheet to find out who it was. He didn’t come in until the second act, and at first I thought it was a strange and confusing choice to introduce the bad guy so late. 

The first part was about the human world and that they believed Trolle was an enemy and wanted to hunt him, and then they introduced a Hulder King. But it did not disturb the story at all. The shift from the enemy, being the fear of the humans to the enemy being the Hulder King Hulk was easy to follow. In addition, I thought it could be too scary with dark shadows, huldrer, fog and vicious creatures for the kids. But they balanced the spooky and the humorous in a wonderful way.

They jumped between different places in the human world, different places in the forest and the Hulder-Forest. This contributed to the already varied and dynamic performance.

I laughed out loud several times, sensed that I was cheering on Alva and Trolle, and wanted to see even more of the Hulder King, even though he was really bad. Even the “little moments” like everyday life among the humans, they have managed to make interesting through wonderful characters and fun elements. Alva was a dream to listen to, and was a strong girl figure full of girl power. That Alexander Rybak played “Trolle”, had originally made me sceptic, but I was quickly disproved. He brought humor and tenderness into the lovely Trolle character.

It was wonderful to see, that there was a lot of message, without them pushing it on us. It was about friendship, to fit in, the strength to go  your own way and dare to be different. The story was easy to follow, though not simple. There were several layers and depth, without getting confusing.

In the description of the play it says that the show has “.. spectacular scenography and captivating music that will spellbind from start to finish”. Pompous words I was sceptical of, but I now stand behind it without a doubt. No matter how old you really are, watch this one! Whether it is to listen to catchy music, see stylish choreography, laugh at strange characters or be seduced by a story everyone can recognize in one way or another. Just watch it.